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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> this is "bbc world news america." dock the's forces on the run. rebels appear to turn the tide -- gaddafi party forces are on the run. they are attempting to take the stronghold. the rebels said they will take this road all the way to tripoli. the closer they get, the more resistance they can expect to face. inside the nuclear evacuation in japan, where a rare look at the desolate area near the crippled reactor. new reports of a highly reactive water. defining the american dream of. we begin a special series examining those who have called the u.s. home.

>> welcome to our viewers on a pbs in america. and in libya, state tv reports the new allied air strikes tonight even as anti-government rebels closed in on what could be an important symbolic win. they have been moving steadily west. moving from than gauzy, they are now in control -- moving from benghazi, the biggest win would be the capture of sirte. >> is taking the fight to colonel gaddafi parks and birthplace -- gaddafi's birthplace. a victory here would have huge

symbolic value. if the libyan leader cannot defend his home town, how long can he defend his regime mark? rebels said these were some of his supporters, mercenaries sent to kill. they were defeated by poorly armed volunteers. we found rebel fighters racing to the front-line sending a message. it the weeks ago, a gesture like this would have gotten him killed. along the way, we met this band of brothers and cousins and extended family have said they were ready to fight and die together so that their children could be free. >> by the gaddafi and kill him.

>> the rebels have been sweeping forward with relative ease. many loyalists have opted to flee rather than fight because of the coalition air strikes which have been decisive. the rebels insist they will take this road all the way to aaa. the closer they get to the capital, the more resistance they can expect to face in tripoli. up ahead in the distance, the next battleground. the rebel advance is swift and the steady -- for now. already, there was a victory dance for these on trained fighters blew still have an long way to go -- untrained fighters who still have a long way to go on the way to sirte. >> the british prime minister is concerned his government is having "proper contact" with rebel leaders in libya.

they went to transition away from gaddafi. what does that mean and who are the rebel forces? >> in one way or so, they have moved from the edge of defeat to what they hope will be a decisive victory. the decision to intervene was taken in a hurry to stop the fall of the center of the rebellion. civil war has transformed their prospects. >> the rebels are making their advance and no one is stopping them. no one is even saying, "where are you going or why are you taking defensive positions to attack the libyan army and citizens?" >> these are american jets taking off from a base in italy. france, britain, and the u.s. in new here they were fighting against. they were not sure who would they were fighting for. the prime minister says they are

getting a better idea. >> we are now in the proper contact with the rebels and a foreign office official as having discussions with them, which i think is vital, as we need to get to know and work with them. >> this has created a military vacuum which the rebels are killing. they have been able to recapture all of the ground they lost west from benghazi. birthplace, iss next. in misrata, they can beat the town that has been under severe attack. the regime would struggle to survive. >> the rebels are trying to get more organized. what unites them now is the hatred for the regime. they talk about freedom and democracy but it is not clear

whether they will be able to control what happens next, if or when that they overthrow colonel gaddafi. >> given the conditions under which they have lived, it would be naive to assume that immediately in the wake ousting gaddafi would spur democratic policy without some problematic. in between. >> they showed gaddafi driving for his compound in a.a.a.. it will be dominated by civil war and al-qaeda. futher afield, he has lost the argument. >> tomorrow, international powers meet in london to discuss libya. tonight, president obama will discuss on the military aims and the commitment there.

market, how much of a hard sell does president obama have on his speech tonight? >> it is an increasing criticism that america does not know what they are doing and what the endgame is there. there is criticism that they have been in the action for 10 days and president obama has not made a big televised speech like this apart from televised comments. he really has to set out what is going to happen and why he thinks america is there. i imagine we will have a repeat of the rhetoric about human rights and is sitting the region from a terrible massacre, which will be his main message. also he will stress that this is a very limited operation in america is taking a back seat and the commanders in the nato hands. he is trying to wipe his hands of it for a traditional extent. >> traditionally the public is behind the president. is that the case this time? >> they just about our.

the first gallup polls suggest 70% were in favor, lower than the rock -- than the iraq or afghanistan wars. what is a. obama is that they are tepid that he is also lukewarm. >> briefly on the conference in london tomorrow, what are the chances that international leaders may actually come out and commit more support to the rebels to get rid of gaddafi? >> it is interesting to see what it will be. hillary clinton did not rule out farming the rebels yesterday on television. there will be a broad support for a brighter future, but i am not sure how much action we will see. >> more signs of unrest about the middle east. anti-government protesters have been out in the yemeni capital

today. talks between president and the rebels. the president says he will make moe more conventions -- no more concessions. he has put on a show of leadership but diplomatic meetings and a round of telephone calls from other arab leaders. and to happen government protests -- anti-government protests have had teargas focused on protesters. plantaiichi fukushima o faces more problems. plutonium has now been detected. the highly radioactive water has leaked from the disability and possibly into the sea. an excursion zone of 20 kilometers is supposed to be enforced. as our contributor reports, some people have still not left the area.

>> the sign says, "danger." beyond it is in no man's land. everyone has been ordered out, but this japanese team is going in. first, people left in a hurry fearing do radiation. they could not take everything with them. not everyone, it seems, has left. fukushima m is a rice farm money. he has little idea of the danger he is in or is choosing to ignore it. he shows them his neighbor's farm, at the cows left defending

themselves. there are not many goods available. there are not many shops open. there are a lot of farmers in the area so we have of vegetables. this area is not safe, the government says, yet the team finds more and more who have stayed. how long will it last, this man says. more people will die. more bad things will happen. this will get tougher. the tsunami damage is plain to see. the poison from a nuclear plant -- invisible. no one knows for certain how bad this really is. will anyone ever return it? nbc news, tokyo. >> it seems desolate there are around fukushima.

in other news, a globe trotting former president to a frightening discovery in northern ireland. a bomb found near a courthouse in the area was a substantial viable device. the bomb was contained in a stolen car. they believe it was planted by a dissident republican group. a rare appearance at court for silvio burlesque tony today. he has not shown up for eight years despite the string of legal cases against him. there are allegations of fraud over television rights. he denies the charges. british airways have been voted more than eight to one in a further strikes. the row began over cost-cutting but now centers on the decision to remove travel concessions from staff who take part in the in-note -- industrial action last year. former president jimmy carter is back in cuba, his first visit since 2002. he remains the only u.s.

president, former or setting, to had visited since the 1959 communist revolution. it is being described as private, but it is thinking they will discuss the case of discussing illegal internet access to cubans. the head of the football world governing body, fifa, thinks that brazil will not be ready to host the world cup in time. preparations need to be speeded up. brazilian officials were acting as if it was the day after tomorrow. it was, as he put it, already tomorrow. every year, 1 million women worldwide get breast cancer. metal experts say tonight they could reduce that number if the women with particularly high risk of contracting the disease were given cancer drugs before they even develop it. giving medicine as a preventative measure could reduce the chance of getting breast cancer in the first place.

our medical correspondent has the details. >> these are breast cancer cells magnified. one in the eight women in britain will develop the disease and it kills 12,000 people every year. but 85% will survive at least 10 years. now there's a difference in the war on cancer. just as millions take medication to cut the risk of heart disease, experts suggest up to one in 10 healthy women could benefit from drugs currently used to treat breast cancer. the target group would be those with a 4% or higher chance of getting the disease within 10 years. among the drugs being suggested is one of the most common medicines used to combat breast cancer. >> cardiologists the gap you do not wait for someone to get a heart attack to treated. you identify those people at high risk and go about reducing the risk. this is the same idea being now apply to cancer, specifically breast cancer.

the mammogram attacks -- detected earlier, but we believe we can identify women with increased risk. for every 1000 patients, there will be 20 fewer cases but there will be three more cases of womb cancer and a deep vein thrombosis which is mostly treatable. it can also cause of hot flashes so healthy women would have to weigh the risks about taking a powerful cancer drug. she is being treated with the drug, but only after being diagnosed with breast cancer. she says she would have welcomed it as a preventative measure. >> do feel safe and secure, the only thing i could do if i found out i was in a high risk group to take the drugs and to look into other options as well like taking out my ovaries and possibly having a mastectomy

because i would want to be well. >> it is not licensed as a preventative therapy in britain, unlike the united states. that would need to change before it could be used here as a new weapon against breast cancer. bbc news. >> you are watching "bbc news world america." what is the real meaning of the american dream? as you might imagine, the answer depends on how you ask. -- who you ask. given the crush of international events from last november's bombardment of north korea has been almost forgotten. two civilians were killed during the shelling. the tragedy remains very fresh for those who were evacuated from p'yongyang who are now just getting back to the island. nick ravens crocked reports. -- ravenscroft reports.

>> this restaurant has been lifeless for months. today, it is busy again. these are the first of diners since north korea attacked. it was lunch time when the shells began to fall outside. 10 bases across the street is aware the restaurant owner used to live with your family. -- her family. >> the windows shattered and i ran out. my neighbor's place was already on fire. the fear is that they will attack again that they will and they did take us hostage. one time i looked in the middle of the night and i had a strange feeling. i locked the windows. it is not just me. yesterday, there were rumors that north korea would attacke .

>> buildings were spare but while the nearby home lots were flattened. some want revenge against those who did this. if i had the opportunity, says this woman, i would cross into north korea, chased them down come and kill them. even those not directly hit had windows shattered by the shock waves. this man says he has replaced the windows of 150 properties in the last three months. four people died when the north attacked. they said in response to the navy firing into their waters during an exercise. for weeks, there were displays of military muscle. the two countries whose cold war conflict of the 1950's sought a cease-fire but no final peace treaty. when a north korean shells fell on this island, there was a genuine fear that war would

break out. since then, things have gotten better, but there are still regular threats. the people living on this tiny speck of south korea, just one stone's throw from the north korean coast line, say they are genuinely concerned about another attack. apart from the soldiers permanently based here, most people on the island living from fishing, now retrieving anchors used to fashion a nets in place which were abandoned in see during the november attack. >> at the moment, we are trying to get things back to normal, but in all depends on what the north koreans do in the future. if they at your house style, our navy will react -- if they appear hostile, our navy will react and our boats cannot move. that will have a big impact on our livelihood. >> for now, they are gearing up for the crab season. most people who are born stay

here despite the threats from nearby north korea for this pretty but strategically vital island. four months on, they're picking up the pieces and looking through an uncertain future. many are fearing another attack. the korean war was never properly consigned to history with a peace treaty. for these people, it is very much of the here and now. bbc news, south korea. >> continuing uncertainty on the korean peninsula. moving from a military threat to an economic one. according to a new global poll conducted by the bbc world service, there are growing concerns about the chinese increase in financial might. in germany, 30% now have a negative view of the growing power of china up 10% from six years ago. in the united states, a similar

job. 54% knows -- now see beijing as a threat. this strikes of the heart of the american dream. tonight, we begin a special series looking at what that means today. more than two centuries after the framers of the declaration of independence declared the any of a bill rights of the -- declared the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the american dream may not be as easy to define or to achieve as it once was. her brooklyn apartment is small. her father's voice fills it easily. ♪ trained in leningrad, he sang opera with the world greats, even albert einstein was a fan. >> this was taken april 1930.

>> this was very soon after your arrival in the america? >> yes. that is the only thing that i have. >> she was 10 years old when she arrived at ellis island with her parents. russian jews, they had a rare escape from stalin's purges. did they make the dangerous journey for freedom more money? >> freedom. i do not think never cared about the financial life. it was a dream to come to america. it was just a dream. >> for decades, this was the face that welcomed those american dreamers to york. >> for immigrants fleeing persecution, the statue of liberty really was the symbol of a new life in the new world. in the middle of the last century, the dream changed with america's post-war economy booming and the new arrivals wanted more than freedom. they wanted a share of the prosperity as well. in the 1950's, they trumpeted

their economic strengths. washing machines, ovens, and cars were the new face of the usa. the quest for liberation became the quest for coca-cola. without the inspiring both mother freedom, the dream became vulnerable to more prosaic things like economic downturn. [sirens] in brooklyn, many were born in the latin america. their only reason to come to the u.s. was financial. this is not a community that lacks ambition. >> how many of you want to go to college? >> some immigrants feel that their families had prospered here. >> my parents came here literally from nothing. as we speak, my parents are working on their own house. they have another house that they rent out. they have a couple of cars. >> many more speak of high

expectations being dashed. >> the american dream is that you can come here, but it -- get a good job. my father came here at 18 and he is still working hard for nothing. nothing. he is fit the breaking his back and has no medical benefits -- he is 50 breaking is back. >> it is hard for you to move up. you are working hard. you have kids. you have to pay rent. you work for nothing. >> is a far cry from the vision of economic opportunities that isabel has. >> the american dream is it to work, i have a home, and get ahead. you can start as a janitor and become the owner of the real- estate company. >> is that still true? today's new arrivals have less

faith in the american dream of getting ahead. >> and complicated picture. be sure to join us tomorrow as our american dream series continues. we will speak to ronald reagan, jr., the son of the 40th president to see how his vision compares to that of his father. you can find much more on our web site. how one moment found her ticket to success by selling tupperware and when japanese- american saw his dream turned into a nightmare when he was sent to an internment camp during world war ii. those and more can be found on our website, bbc.com/news. you can get in touch with me and many of the team on twitter. you can see what we are working on via facebook. facebook.com/bbcworldnews.

thank you so much for watching. >> get the top stores around the world. go to bbc.com/news to experience the expert reporting on line. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news america"